WHOO HOOO! We recovered Flight #3033 this morning in Arkansas - what fun!

Mark Phillips has already posted the find on the www.skysite.com
page. These things are definately out there - and the real thing! The
item is quite impressive to see and very official looking.

And Mark is great to work with. If any of you have a chance to find one, go for it - it's quite a thrill!

The landowners were great to deal with and they were almost as excited as we were to find out that something like this was on their property. We asked if they were familiar with geocaching and they were as they had seen the article in the Baxter Bulletin (our local paper). They're intriqued with the entire concept and today only helped! We all took pictures after the find and had a nice visit. What a great opportunity! This was even more fun than finding an ammo can under a pile of rocks and sticks!

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

4 of the SOG's were found today by tmac and one yesterday by geo_ferrets! I think that's all that are in our immediate vicinity - there's more in MS. and southern AR. If they're still out there, we'd encourage anyone to go find them!

Let's face it - the "bounty" is totally beside the point. We personally don't care a bit about it. The great fun was going to look for something new - just the "hunt". We all know what that's about! And this was a totally new experience!

Thanks Mark for asking us to join in!

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

4 of the SOG's were found today by tmac and one yesterday by geo_ferrets! I think that's all that are in our immediate vicinity - there's more in MS. and southern AR. If they're still out there, we'd encourage anyone to go find them!

Let's face it - the "bounty" is totally beside the point. We personally don't care a bit about it. The great fun was going to look for something new - just the "hunt". We all know what that's about! And this was a totally new experience!

Thanks Mark for asking us to join in!

Add two more to the count!! I found the ones close to Nashville, and DeQueen. I just haven't gotten around to letting Mark know, yet!

SOGs 1044, & 1047 Recovery Story

Left Jacksonville around 11AM for a (Ahem) quick trip to Nashville, and DeQueen to recover the 2 SOGs out there (1044, and 1047 respectively). 10 hours, 400+ miles, 2 States, and 2 recovered SOGs later I finally make it back.

1044 was easy enough even though it was found in a pond. I didn't make contact with the land-owner, but I did get permission from his neighbor. As I topped the spillway, I spotted it, in the water. Luckily it was only a foot or so in and I have long arms!.

1047 was a whole different matter. I pulled up as a couple was leaving the house, the girl told me to talk to her Mom, who was in the house. I knocked and introduced myself, told her what I was doing, she asked how I planned to get back to it, I told her hike. It was approvimately .3 miles from the house. I started to bush-wack through the woods, when I got stopped by a briarpatch as thick and wide as a house. I quickly decided that that wasn't the way to go, so I turned around and found another path to a barbed-wire fence. I tested it and sure enough it would hold my weight, so I climbed over it. This put me in a cow pasture, complete with cow-pies. I quickly made it to the location and retrieved 1047.

The trip home took me to the extreme NE edge of Tx as I took Hwy 59 to catch I-30 back home.

The coordinates were right on. and the satellite photos were a great help in convincing the land-owners of the area, and also cut the search time down greatly!

Of course the reward isn't the reason I did this, Helping out the scientific community by utilizing my Geo-Skills that geocaching has helped hone is my reward! I can't wait until the next time!

I have got to say without a doubt, that this group has excelled and performed beyond my wildest dreams! You have grabbed 8 out of 9 in two states, just from this one group, over one weekend. I have a great picture of number 9(3037ss) that's way up in a tree. Second one of these this weekend.

The one in Arizona(picture on the www.skysite.com website) was retrieved on a second attempt. Art used several sections of 1.5 inch dia PVC pipe, couplings, duct tape and a hook at the end to snag it and pull it down. I just saw this "tool" today at noon and will be putting up a photo of it on the website.

You guys are the greatest! This has been the fastest and the largest recovery of SOG's in 2 states by one group in the history of SSRS. So we only have a one month history, who cares, you guys are the greatest anyway! And 4 by tmac! Thats a record.

LongDogs, thank you so much for allow me to have access to such great people.

Thank you cachecrazies, Phantom_491, geo_ferrets and tmac the SOG'in Machine!

Your members have been the most helpful and enthusiastic of any of the groups I have contacted. I have had individuals other groups that have taken on the challenge, but no one group has been as accepting and "aggressive" in tracking these little(well... not so little ) buggers down.

I have got to say that when I sent in the report to Space Data on Monday, they about "fell over" when I told them how many were recovered in 2 states due to one group. I have to say that they were a little skeptical about this "long distance, using unknown people / geocachers, to recover SkySites", but I lobbied hard to convince them.

I said if there was some cash involved and we could do some "special things" like the "high flyer" medallions, make a game out of it and add other promotions, that you guys(and girls) would be all over this, mainly from a pure challenge standpoint.

The list of SOGS I sent out last night via "the bone head email screw up", all but one of those units were taken via email before bed time last night.

One of the SOG's did not make the list because I personally called one of your members to offer a SOG that was about 6 miles from his home. He worked so hard at one unit that's still 50 up in a tree, that I wanted to give "the furry little(well maybe not so little ) SOG agent/cacher" a shot at one near his house. Hopefully he wont have to lobby to get his wife to climb a tree this time. Just say no!

Thanks to everyone for showing this desert dweller what "southern hospitality" is all about. You guys are the greatest.